A Close Race for Senate in the 18th District

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• NHPR Election 2006 Coverage

(begin with ambi sound Andy Martel introducing himself at someone’s door) :03 or :04

Two-term Senator Andy Martel goes door to door in the 18th District trying to round up votes.
He's sporting khaki shorts, a navy & white striped golf shirt with an American flag insignia.
Martel's district includes southern Manchester, and the town of Litchfield.
Martel says he dresses casually so that his constituents will view him as "one of them." :25
(bring up ambi of a guy saying "you'll get my vote just because no Senator has ever come to my door before.) :05
Music to Martel’s ears.
He is campaigning right in his challenger, Betsi DeVries' Aldermanic Ward 8.
Martel is trying to paint DeVries as someone who likes to raise taxes and spend money.
He claims, as an alderman, DeVries voted several times to raise the property tax. :11
“not only that, but she also didn’t vote to ban an income tax and sales tax. She says she opposes an income and sales tax, but she wouldn’t kill a bill that would ban them. She also voted to hike the beverage fee. Also voted to tax un-sterilized dogs and cats.” :16
Uptown, DeVries works the phones at her campaign headquarters on Elm Street. :15
(Betsi ambi working phones…”This is Betsi DeVries, running for NH State Senate…”) :04
DeVries is not rattled by Martel's characterizations. :03
“I really think that part of this is rhetoric; they try to paint individuals, or Democrats, as tax & spend, and it just clearly is not true. My record defends it. Sen. Martel is grasping at straws.” :11
DeVries says, last year in the Commerce Committee, she’d actually supported legislation to reduce the insurance premium tax in NH.
But the campaigning doesn't end with charges about who voted for which taxes.

Both candidates also like to cite experience.

Andy Martel repeatedly points out that 56 of the 115 bills he sponsored last term became law.

Those bills included legislation for “first responders” such as firefighters to secure the future of their retirement benefits. :30

“I am the one who prime sponsored three bills to help them out on both their ability to change the rates and swap around, okay, their pension time…as well as insurance for their families. I brought that to the Rules Committee of the Senate in order to pass it. We passed it.” :21

But DeVries boasts that she is the more experienced candidate, having worked as both a state representative and a Manchester alderman.

And she says Manchester voters need someone who knows the important issues.

“Making sure that health care is affordable…that we are creating many new jobs for NH’s residents, taking care of their economic security. Helping families who are today being squeezed by the ever-rising costs of energy in this state.” :15

However on two of the longstanding issues facing the legislature this session, education funding and taxes, Martel and DeVries find themselves agreeing.

Both the Republican and the Democrat voted with Governor Lynch on his Education Funding Proposal back in 2005. :07

Martel: “Statewide property tax would have been eliminated…the engine would have been of a different kind…no taxes included.” :07

DeVries: “ …..I do believe the governor had a plan that was put forward last year, that was not voted on, but it did tackle many of the issues of adequacy in the state and I think it was a good plan.” :18

But while the two may have supported Governor Lynch's Education Funding Bill, Martel is not supporting Lynch’s candidacy for re-election; he’s behind Republican Jim Coburn.

DeVries on the other hand, is a loyal Lynch supporter.

Political observers are calling the contest in the 18th District one of the closest Senate races this year.

In 2004, Martel won by fewer than 200 votes.

And the district is nearly evenly split between democrats and republicans.

UNH Political Scientist Andy Smith calls Betsi DeVries a more formidable candidate than Martel's challenger 2 years ago.

Democrats and she have been able to raise significant amounts of money so she can really fight a competitive race. And you’ve got John Lynch, who is looking to cruise to a fairly comfortable victory.” :15

So DeVries could benefit from the strength of the Governor's coat-tails.

And she has raised more than half again as much money as Martel, about 82 thousand dollars to Martel's 55 thousand.

But Martel has the advantage of incumbency.

And Democrats sensing a Lynch landslide could become complacent and not bother going to the polls.

So…at the end of the day…Political Scientist Andy Smith says, in a district with roughly equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, it may all come down to which campaign is most organized. :15

“The number of yard signs that appear in peoples’ yards, not on street corners or in more open areas…but where people are actually willing to put a yard sign up in their yard; that’s an indication of organizational strength because you’ve had to contact people to get their permission to do that.” :16

Both candidates seem to be doing well in that regard.

Driving around the 18th district, one sees just as many Martel as DeVries signs in residents’ yards.

SOQ